She was holding the baby close to her chest, rocking her back and forth, but part of her body was covered by someone else, someone else that was kneeling down in front of her. Rick blinked, before finally recognising Daryl's face squinting down at his own, waving a dirty hand in front of his face and calling out his name. Rick eventually realised it was Parker stood in front of him, and then he saw the tiny bundle in her arms, and he went back to daydreaming all over again.
"Is he going to be okay?" Parker asked, turning her body round to look at Hershel, who was still holding Beth in his arms as she trembled.
"He's in shock. I think we all are." Hershel told her, and Parker nodded, before turning back to look at Rick who was still hunched over on the ground, just swaying slightly from side to side. He looked like he was in a trance, or under a spell, and she just wanted him to snap out of it and say something to them. Anything.
"Rick, you with me?" Daryl asked as the tiny baby girl started screaming again.
"Come on, sshh." Parker cooed, rocking her arms and smiling down at her. She once babysat for her neighbors for four weekends in a row, so looking after children wasn't completely new to her, but a newborn that she had helped deliver herself? She was surprised she could still stand up on her shaking legs after all of that.
"Parker?" She looked down to see Carl standing in front of her with his arms outstretched, and she gladly handed his little sister to him, who he held tightly to his small chest.
"Let me see the baby." Hershel called out and Carl and Parker, along with Daryl with by her side, wandered over to the old man.
"What's it gon' eat?" Daryl asked, his voice agitated and stressed. "We got anythin' a baby can eat?" Hershel didn't say anything at first, just pulled Carl's jacket aside that was keeping her warm and inspected her face and arms.
"Well, the good news is, she looks healthy." He said to Daryl. "But she needs formula, and soon, or she won't survive."
"Nope. No way." Daryl instantly shook his head and threw his crossbow over his shoulder. "Not her. We ain't losin' nobody else. I'm goin' for a run."
"I'll back you up." Maggie said.
"I'll go too." Glenn added, just before Parker could jump in and say her piece. But before she could even open her mouth, Daryl spoke again.
"Okay, think where we're goin'. Beth?" Daryl motioned for her to walk over to the side and began talking to her in a hushed tone, leaving Parker to the side on her own with a small frown.
"Hey, you doing okay?" She turned to see her brother looking at her and she shrugged.
"Think I'm in shock. Like Hershel said." She whispered, and Glenn sighed before pulling her into a tight hug, which she gladly accepted.
"I'm so sorry, P." He said into her hair and she just squeezed her eyes shut and tried her hardest not to start crying again.
"It's what she wanted. Lori." Parker explained, eventually loosening her grip and stepping back. "She asked me and Maggie too…" She hesitated and Glenn just put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Don't. Not yet. Let's focus on the baby, alright?" He said, and all she could do was nod.
"You two by the fence. They start pilin' up we got a problem!" Daryl directed towards Oscar and Axel, who Parker only just realised were standing in the corner away from the others.
"Glenn, Maggie, vamanos!" Just as Daryl finished barking out orders, Parker turned at the sound of footsteps coming her way to see Rick storming over to the axe he had dropped on the ground.
"Rick?" She asked, getting everyone's attention, only to panic as he grabbed the axe and sprinted into the prison where Maggie, Carl and Parker had just come out of. "Rick!" But he ignored her completely and slammed the door once he was inside, leaving everyone outside speechless.
"Get the gate." Daryl said. "Come on, we're gonna lose the light!" He shouted. Maggie gently nudged Parker's arm so she followed Daryl, and the three of them hurried behind him.
"There's a Piggly Wiggly at 85?" Glenn said, throwing the first suggestion for baby products at them.
"No, the baby section's been cleared." Maggie disagreed. "Lori asked me to keep an eye out, I haven't had much luck."
"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Daryl asked, taking his crossbow off his back and securing it to his motorcycle.
"We saw signs for a shopping centre just North of here." Glenn suggested.
"There's too much debris on the road." Maggie pointed out.
"She's right, it'll take too long to get there and back and time is not on our side anymore." Parker said, folding her arms. "Besides, the car would never get through there."
"I can take one of ya." Daryl then said, looking between Maggie and Glenn, and both of them paused, giving each other looks.
"I'll go." Maggie eventually said, and Glenn went over to her, presumably to try and change her mind, but Parker tuned them out so she didn't get caught up in a conversation that wasn't hers. Instead, she turned to Daryl, who was already sitting on his bike and waiting for them.
"Surprised you're not beggin' to come with me this time." He pointed out, checking his gun for ammo. Parker looked back up at the prison and sighed.
"I promised Lori that I'd take care of Rick and Carl. So that's what I'm gonna do." Daryl looked up at her, and for a second it looked like he was disappointed she wasn't going, but eventually he shrugged.
"Probably for the best." He said. "You and your brother are our only hope at defending this place right now."
"We will. Just come back in one piece, okay?" She said, as Maggie grabbed the things she needed and walked over to them.
"Let's go." She said, and hopped onto the Chopper behind Daryl. He kicked the engine to life, and gave Parker one last nod of encouragement before he sped off towards the front gate that Axel and Oscar had pulled open for them. Glenn walked over to his sister's side and the two watched as the two people they cared about most in this world other than each other sped off into the distance.
"She'll be okay." Parker said reassuringly, recognising that familiar look of uncertainty on her twin's face.
Glenn nodded. "I know. And so will Daryl." Parker didn't say anything, but her brother wrapped an around her shoulder and led her back to the main yard. Hershel, Beth and Carl were all sat at one of the tables, Carl rocking his new baby sister in his arms and smiling down at her. Parker couldn't help but smile too, it had been a while since Carl looked this happy, especially under the circumstances.
"Maggie went with him?" Hershel asked, getting up on his crutches again with Beth's help.
"They'll be back soon." Parker said. "For now, we need to keep this place running smoothly. They all paused, before Glenn rubbed a hand over his face.
"We need graves." He said sadly, and Parker frowned.
"Graves, plural?"
"We lost T and Carol." Hershel said, and Parker stared at him in shock. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We didn't have a chance to tell you earlier."
"Oh my god." Parker breathed.
"I'm sorry." Beth said quietly to her. "I know Carol was a good friend of yours." Parker just blinked, staring at the ground in shock.
"T-Dog too. He saved the both of us when it all started." Glenn said. "We would never have made it here without him."
"We can honour their memory by giving them proper funerals." Hershel said, moving to the twins and looking directly into their eyes. "That's how we deal with things." The two of them nodded, and Glenn decided to walk over to one of the fields in the prison and start digging to take his mind off of everything. Parker then ushered Beth and Carl into cell block C, telling them to take the baby into the recreation room and keep her warm and out of the glaring sun.
"What about you?" Hershel asked as the two kids made their way inside. She shrugged.
"Sit up in the guard tower with my gun and wait for Daryl and Maggie to come back. I can keep watch, make sure the perimeter is secure."
"You don't have too. Come inside with us, rest." Hershel said, cocking his head to the side. "You've been through a very traumatic experience, Parker. You're in shock. There will come a point where you won't be able to handle it anymore."
"I need to do something until Daryl get's back, Pops." She said with a shake of her head. "I can't just...do nothing. I'll go insane."
"That'll never happen." Hershel smiled reassuringly, and Parker couldn't help but return the gesture. "Come on, for now, we need to keep that little girl safe." He then hobbled his way back into the prison, and at first Parker didn't follow him, she just looked across the prison yard, seeing all the bodies and the blood. A few hours ago, they were happy. Lori was still here, Hershel could finally move on his own, and she had Daryl. Now, she just felt alone again. And that was the worst feeling in the world.
***
Hours passed before Glenn decided to try and find Rick. No one had seen or heard from him since he disappeared and it was starting to annoy Carl more than anyone. He wanted his Dad to be here, not just for him and the group, but for his new child. He didn't understand why his Dad had left him all alone, and Parker was trying her best to comfort him.
"Like Hershel said, he's in shock. Shock makes people do stupid things." She explained. "But he'll come back. I promise you."
"What if he gets himself killed?" Carl snapped unintentionally. "What if...what if he gets bit? What do we do then? Just sit around waiting for someone else to come and lead us?"
"Carl, that's not going to happen and you know it." Parker scolded, trying to keep her voice down as the baby that was now bundled up in Beth's arms, coughed. They had finally managed to get her to calm down for a little while and whenever she cried the echoing walls of the prison didn't help. "You're scaring yourself, and you can't do that. Just have faith in him. Your Dad is a good man, he always has been. He'll bounce back from this." Carl didn't say anything, he just turned his back on her and went back to taking his handgun apart.
"Parker?" Glenn called out, jogging into the recreation room and peering round to the cells. "You got a second?"
"Yeah. I'll be right back." Parker said, but Carl ignored her. She sighed and followed her brother out to the small set of stairs leading into the guard's office. "What's up?"
"We need to try and find Rick." He said quietly, not wanting the others to hear. "He needs to come up here and be with us, his kids."
"We have no idea where he is." Parker pointed out. "He didn't even know where Lori and us were hidden."
"He'll scour the prison until he finds her." Glenn said sadly. "I just...we need him. And he needs us. Please, Park. We have to bring him back." Parker thought for a moment, before sighing.
"Alright. Let me tell the others. Gear up." Glenn nodded and went over to their weapons stash as Parker returned to the cells. Beth was the first to notice her return.
"Is everythin' okay?" She asked, the baby wiggling in her skinny arms.
"Yeah. We're going to find Rick." Carl looked up from where he was sat and stared at her. Hershel, who was lying on his bed, sat himself up and watched her. "We need him here and...so does the baby. Glenn and I are going into the tombs and we're locking you guys in here with some weapons until we get back, okay?"
"You sure you two will be alright?" Hershel asked and Parker nodded.
"Don't worry. We'll come back as soon as we can." Parker then walked over to the baby and kissed her tiny head. "You behave." She whispered, before smiling at Beth, Hershel and lastly Carl, who was still scowling, before heading over to the door and locking it shut behind her. Glenn then threw her a gun and the two headed down into the tombs, once again locking that door once they were inside.
Parker led her brother down the many zigzagging corridors until she slowly started to remember some of them, recognising the place Lori first started feeling contractions, and ushering Glenn after her. Soon, however, the twins were met with the unpleasant sight of bodies...lots of them.
"There's more than a dozen." Parker whispered, as they both shone their torches down at the ground, realising they would probably have to step onto the bodies to even get past. "They weren't here before."
"He's been through here." Glenn said with a grim face, before turning left and trying his best not to walk over the bodies too much. Parker hurried after him, and the two soon came to a small room leading off to multiple corridors. And that's when Parker saw the axe.
It was dripping in blood, fresh blood, and still held tightly in Rick's right hand. He had his back to them and was staring at the wall, and both of the twins looked at each other before tip toeing towards him. He was covered head to toe in blood, dirt and sweat, as if he had just ran through a herd. They had never seen him like this before, and it was starting to put them on edge.
"Rick?" Glenn called out gently, not wanting to startle him. But he didn't move. He didn't even seem to react, as if he couldn't hear him. "Everybody's worried about you. You shouldn't be in here." He tried again, and this time Rick slowly turned around to face them. Parker held her breath once his eyes met hers, his icy blue orbs no longer seeming friendly and welcoming, but deadly and fierce, as if he would snap at any moment.
"Come with us." Parker pleaded, but he could only stare back at her without saying a word. As the seconds ticked by, Glenn slowly stood in front of him, trying to give him a comforting smile.
"Rick, you don't have to do this all by yourself." He said. "Okay? Our cell block is cleared. We'll just close off all the doors again."
"Nothing's going to hurt us now." Parker added.
Rick looked between the two of them, as if weighing up his options, but still didn't respond.
"Rick, why don't you just come out with us, okay? Rick?" Glenn bravely placed a hand on his shoulder, but before he could even blink Rick had him pinned against the wall with his axe at Glenn's throat.
"Rick!" Parker yelled as Glenn struggled against his friend's tight grip, and gasped out for air with a loud choke. She held her gun up but Glenn put his hand up to stop her, shaking his head before licking his lips and carefully looking Rick in the eye. Something passed between the two men, and Parker watched in amazement as Glenn nodded his head slowly.
"Yeah," He whispered. "Yeah, it's me." Rick paused, before grabbing Glenn's shirt and throwing him to the side, right by Parker's left shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around her brother before dragging him back to the hallway they came from for safety. The Rhee twins stared sadly at their fallen leader, watching in despair as he sauntered further into the tombs, leaving them both in total darkness, and with no idea what to do next.
***
Hours passed, the sun started to set, and Daryl and Maggie hadn't come back. The baby had stopped crying now, and was still in Carl's arms as he sat in his bunk, with Beth and Hershel sat on either side of him. They had all taken care of her whilst Glenn and Parker were gone, walking around the prison to try and make sure every door was bolted shut, every gate was locked, and every fence was hole free. They couldn't have any more surprises that night, especially with the baby around.
Glenn offered to do the last check outside alone, leaving Parker to guard the others, and was nearing the end of his shift when Parker started to really get anxious about Daryl and Maggie. She kept tapping her foot and looking at the cell block main door, hoping that she would hear the faraway rumble of the Chopper and they would all come bursting in. But they didn't.
"Parker?" Hershel called to her, and she looked over with a small smile. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah. How is she?" Hershel smiled.
"The same since you asked five minutes ago. Don't worry." After a brief pause, Parker heard Hershel get off the bed and use his crutches to move towards her, taking a slightly unsteady seat on the recreation table she was sat on, and put his hands on her shaking ones. "They're coming back."
"I know." Parker nodded, looking at her feet. "It's just…"
"You worry about him too much." Hershel finished for her and she laughed.
"Yeah, I do, don't I?" Hershel sighed and looked at the door himself.
"She was my first child." He said. "She was the thing that made me realise how much of an ass I had been growing up. Because she was exactly the same." The two chuckled, knowing Maggie's fiery personality had gotten her into trouble when she was younger, and even when she was in college. Parker had been like that too, with Glenn being the perfect child. "But I think that's what makes me worry about her the most."
"What does?" Parker asked.
"She's brave. Too brave. That's what we clash on." Hershel said, looking back at Parker. "I'd much rather prefer to be here, helping from the inside, as a doctor. But she would rather be on the front lines with you and Glenn." Parker blinked and bit her lip, knowing Hershel was right. Maggie was a fighter, she had proved that more than any of them. Hershel then moved his hands from hers and rested them on his lap, only to smile at Parker almost teasingly.
"Your Daryl is a fighter too." Parker went red.
"He's not-"
"He is." Hershel chuckled again. "He always has been. But I never asked, how did the two of you meet?" Parker frowned, not knowing where the question had come from. But Hershel explained a moment later. "Rick told me that you were all at Atlanta. That you and Glenn saved him from walkers from the start."
Parker smiled, remembering when her brother had pointed out the Sheriff scrambling to get inside the tank that had been abandoned in the street as the walkers just kept on coming.
They had both argued about whether to leave him, Parker instantly wanting to get back to Andrea and T-Dog and the others, but Glenn, being the good natured person that he was, refused to just leave some innocent guy behind.
"He thought he could help us." Parker said to Hershel. "He didn't want to leave anyone behind. That's just who he is." She then paused, remembering the question Hershel had asked her. "But Daryl and I...we met when we first joined the camp on the hill. Where Dale, Andrea and her sister Amy had been staying. We had been there for a week or so before Merle and Daryl Dixon showed up. Merle on his bike and Daryl riding that stupid old truck of his." Parker couldn't help but smile over the memory. She had thought they were both so scary and rough, Merle especially since all he did was flirt with her, trying to get her into bed. That pissed Glenn off to no end, giving the two a reason to hate each other. "Merle was an asshole." She said and Hershel laughed softly. "He was loud, and brash, and drunk nearly every day. But Daryl...Daryl was different."
"He still is." Hershel pointed out.
Parker nodded. "Yeah, he is. He's nothing like Merle. They're blood, and they come from the same upbringing, but they were never the same. Daryl used to be loud and outspoken, but that was just to compete with his brother, he was never really like that. When Merle would be the centre of attention Daryl would just stand back and let him be. Because he didn't want to be like him."
"He hated me the first time we met." Parker snorted, remembering the dirty look Daryl had given her when she tripped over his tent and knocked down his miniature fire pit where he was cooking squirrels. "I just seemed to piss him off no matter what I did. Merle would laugh at me, tease me, call me a hot mess, but Daryl just glared at me and stayed silent."
"But look at you two now." Hershel said, leaning back in his seat a little to get more comfortable. "It's like you two are attached at the hip." Parker shrugged.
"We weren't always this close but...I suppose things change."
"The world changed." Hershel said, glancing at the door just as Parker did the same. "He's good for you. Just like Glenn is good for Maggie."
"You really think so, Hershel?" Parker asked genuinely.
"I do." He said, grinning at her. "And he'll come back. You know he always will." She nodded, and there was a long silence before a far off rumble made Parker's ears twitch. She sat up in her seat and grabbed her gun, running towards the door, before she stopped and turned to Hershel. "We'll be fine, go!" He chuckled, shooing her away with a big smile. She returned it, and yanked the door open and running off into the night.
Her brother was on the guard tower closest to the main gate, ordering Oscar and Axel to pull it open. Parker hoisted her gun to her shoulder and fired at a few stray walkers that were attracted by the motorcycle in the distance. Glenn fired a few shots himself, just as the gate was pulled open enough for the bike to come hurtling through, both Maggie and Daryl riding on it in one piece.
Daryl quickly parked the bike up and Maggie hopped off the back, a large bag thrown over her shoulder.
"You got everything?" Parker asked and she nodded before heading towards the prison. Parker let her brother follow his girlfriend whilst she looked over at Daryl who was grabbing his crossbow and jumping off the bike.
"They okay?" He asked, jogging up to the main door leading into the cell block.
"They're fine, come on." Parker pulled his arm for him to go faster as they both suddenly heard the cries of the baby again. Maggie and Glenn were hurrying down the steps into the recreation room and Maggie called to her sister to help her with her bag whilst Daryl immediately rushed towards Carl.
"How's she doin'?" He asked. Daryl then gently pulled her from Carl's arms, giving the kid a break, and bundled the tiny girl up against his chest, wanting to keep her as warm as possible. Carl and Hershel walked over to Maggie and Beth whilst Parker watched in total amazement as the baby slowly started to calm down, her screams and cries evolving into tiny gasps and whimpers as Daryl shushed and rocked her. Beth quickly handed Daryl a now full bottle of baby formula, and stepped back as he started feeding the little girl, the only noises now coming from her mouth were those of relief. Everyone stepped back and watched as Daryl seemed to completely transform into a new person, rocking the baby back and forth and encouraging her to drink.
Parker couldn't keep her eyes off of him. She had never thought, in a million years, that Daryl Dixon could take care of a newborn baby. But he did, and he was smiling the entire time. He looked up, grinning at everyone in the room, before his eyes finally landed on Parker. "Come here." He said gently and she blinked before shaking her head.
"I-I'm not very good with kids." She stumbled over her words but Maggie chuckled behind her.
"Carl's practically your kid at this point, go on. You'll be fine." She said and Parker sighed before slowly walking over to Daryl and the little girl, standing at where the baby's head was laying against his bicep, before looking down at her. The little girl's eyes were closed but seemed to open the moment Parker came close, and Parker smiled without meaning too.
"Hey." She whispered, and reached a finger down to stroke her cheek. "Hey, tiny." Parker smiled before looking up at Daryl. "She looks so small when you hold her." Everyone chuckled at that, realising that Carl had been holding her all this time so of course the moment a fully grown man held her she'd look minuscule.
"She got a name yet?" Daryl asked Carl, only for the young boy to shrug.
"Not yet." He said. "But I was thinking...maybe Sophia? Then there's Carol, too." Parker looked at the baby sadly and kept running her finger over her soft skin, thinking about Carol and wishing she was here to see Lori's tiny bundle of joy for herself. She had been so excited for the baby to come weeks ago, and now here she was. But no Carol. "And Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia." Carl continued before looking at the floor and letting out a shaky breath. "Or...Lori. I don't know." Carl turned away, letting Hershel wrap an arm around him, before everything went quiet again.
"Yeah, you like that?" Daryl cooed softly as the baby eagerly started gripping at the bottle.
"Huh? Little ass-kicker?"
"Daryl." Parker snorted, nudging his shoulder with her own, but he just beamed down at her and looked up at everyone else.
"That's a good name, right?" Everyone couldn't help but laugh, even Carl was smiling again. Parker let her free hand that wasn't touching the baby to rub up and down Daryl's back soothingly, as if thanking him for easing the tension, and he smiled at her before looking down at the little girl in his arms. "Little ass-kicker. You like that, huh? You like that sweetheart?"
"Okay, for now we'll call her that." Parker said, and everyone nodded.
"For now." Daryl agreed. And the little girl seemed to smile up at the both of them with her tiny blue eyes, meaning she liked that idea too.
"Hey, you okay?" Maggie whispered to Glenn, holding onto his hand.
"Yeah." He nodded. "Much better now you're both back." He said, before gently pressing a kiss to her lips. Maggie leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed, watching as Parker and Daryl fawned over the baby.
"They look good together, don't they?" She said and Glenn scoffed.
"You gonna tell me you told me so?"
"Maybe one day." Maggie teased, squeezing his hand. "But I mean...like that. With a baby." Glenn instantly turned to her with a deep frown.
"What are you saying?" He asked nervously and Maggie rolled her eyes.
"I'm not saying they're having a baby or should, jesus." She giggled. "I'm saying, that's what they could have one day." Glenn hesitated before looking at his sister and Daryl once again, taking in the image of seeing his sister the happiest she had been since this all started, standing next to the man she deeply cared about with a baby in his arms. And Glenn imagined what that would be like.
He imagined a world that hadn't changed, everything was the way it should be. He was still with Maggie and maybe Daryl and Parker were somehow together. He imagined Lori, Carl and Rick hosting barbecue's in their back garden and inviting the Greene's over alongside T-Dog and Carol and Dale and Andrea and...everyone. He imagined how happy they all would have been. And then he imagined Parker with a baby of her own, something their mother had always wanted. He saw her with the tiny bundle in her arms as everyone congratulated her and fussed over her. And he imagined Daryl standing right by her side, holding her hand, and smiling down at her. Proud to say that this was now his family, this was his. And Glenn smiled. That's what he wanted for Parker, that was the life she deserved. Hell, that was the life Daryl deserved.
So Glenn stood there, holding the love of his life's hand, as Daryl and Parker had their moment together with the baby, and prayed to whatever was watching over them that his sister got everything that she deserved out of this life. And in that moment he also silently promised to her that no matter how much they argued, no matter how much the disagreed or clashed, that he would never let Daryl get hurt. Because he was Parker's person, just like Maggie was to Glenn.
And there was no way in hell that he was going to let either of them get away.